The mantle of “favourite rapper among those who could live without
rap” weighs heavily upon the bearer. k-os’s 2006 offering,
Atlantis, rocked the mainstream so hard, he became the personal
jingle-meister at As It Happens for a while. As if to avoid
being called a sellout, he’s devised the remix project and “karma
donation” scheme for fans and dropped a less catchy album, though it’s
hardly devoid of ear candy. Whether haunting chorale (“Zambony”),
swirling strings (“Astronaut”) or a cameo by The Dears’ Murray
Lightburn (‘Uptown Girl”), k-os deftly stirs ingredients from every
pantry. He raps, sings and makes the sonic clutter flow, mostly.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2009.